Here We Go Again...FINALLY!

These past few weeks have passed in a blur. Here's an idea of how things have been going:

However, we need to add to those spinning plates items such as travel, dog show, grooming, puppies, guests...

I ran across an article about time when I was actually looking for information on the importance of children's play. The article on time really hit home. Here is a brief excerpt from it: "…being busy all the time does not increase productivity; it is instead a recipe for misery by taking the enjoyment out of everything…When you think, speak, and act as though there’s not enough time, your experience will reinforce that concept and continue to generate debilitating stress in a race of your own creation that you can never win." ~ Leah Kalish

She is so right. I can't seem to get off the hamster wheel though!

When I last wrote, we'd recently returned from shows in Bloomington, IL. I said I would post a  photo of Josh's Owner Handled Group 1 so here it is.

June has been a month of comings and goings. I was in Austin from  the 9th to the 13th at a conference for work, the annual National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Learning Institute. I was home for a day and spent it getting Chance and Bekka groomed, bathed and ready to leave the next day for a show. We spent 3 days in Grayslake, IL at a show. Neither of my dogs showed well and I think it was probably my fault. I was so tired and just "not into it." Anyway, Chance took Winners Dog on Friday and Reserve Winners Dog on Sunday. (We did not show on Saturday). Bekka took Reserve Winner's Bitch on Sunday to the major. She took 2nd place in her class both days to her sister, Gabby. Readers of this blog might remember Gabby as Dottie, the gold and white parti-color puppy that is Chance and Bekka's sister. Gabby is co-owned by Jan Graunke, Karen Schlais, and me. We were very proud that she took Winners Bitch on Friday and Sunday for a 3 point major each day. All of the puppies from that litter that went to show homes now have points toward their championships. Beethoven has 4 singles; Chance has 5 singles; Bekka has 7 singles; and Gabby has both majors for 6 points. I am so proud of them all!

One of these days we need to take pictures of Chance and Bekka!

Once I got home from the show, I had to pack and leave again for a 2-day workshop in Galena, IL, that one of the early childhood projects that is part of my office hosted on the Project Approach. We held the workshop in the historic DeSoto House Hotel, which is a lovely hotel with a horrible parking garage. Parking spaces were small. (When I left I noticed that my car had a scrape along the back bumper on the passenger side. [$330 repair bill!!]) The ramps for each level were tight curves and served dual purpose as both exit and entrance ramps! Talk about scary! 

Our granddaughter is visiting and I am trying to keep a 12 year old busy and off her darn phone while I am catching up on grooming, laundry, etc. Our town hosted its annual Heritage Days celebrations this past weekend and I was nagged into riding the Tornado, the Scrambler, and the Ali Baba. I survived. Enough said.

She is going with me to WI to help me at the dog show this coming weekend. We will be in West Bend.

Here are photos of Greta's puppies, age 4 weeks.

Two girls

Male

 These puppies were sired by our Breaker (GCH CH Joyslyn's Heartbreaker ROM). Their dam is CH Joyslyn's No Regrets. One of these days I will get around to matching people with puppies. They are so young, and I am in no hurry. All three are doing well and growing fast.

While we were taking pictures this morning, I  thought we should get one of Autumn, who is now 3 months old. She is a pistol -- very demanding and sure of herself. She is food motivated, so has been quick to learn the basics of showing (stacking, walking on a lead, etc.). She is cute and knows it! Her registered name is a combination of words from her parents' names. Rafe is GCH CH Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind and Kimmi is CH. Joyslyn's Heart Song. Autumn is Joyslyn's Wind Song.

Here are photos others have sent me of  their Lhasas. (If you sent a photo and I did not post it, apologies!!)

Finn

Hunter

Phoebe

Rafe in front with Belle and Moka

Our son, Trevor, and his band, Black Fast, will begin their tour in July to promote their new album. We are very excited for the band and wish them safe travels and much success. If you are a fan of metal, check out their Facebook page and/or videos on YouTube.

As for me, the July calendar is not as crammed full as May and June's calendars were. I may actually find time to put  Leah Kalish's suggestions work for me, reminding myself that time is a friend and not an enemy.

Thanks for reading and for all your good wishes. More later...

Joyce


 
 

Catching Up; Sharing News and Photos

Happy June! 2018 is half over! It amazes me each month how fast the weeks fly by! Here in Macomb we've gone from winter right into summer. Temps yesterday were in the low 90's. I miss spring.

Two of Rafe and Kimmi's puppies left this weekend. We are keeping Autumn and hoping that she'll enjoy being in the show ring when her time comes. We've been practicing standing on the table for exam, and she is doing really well! Lead training will start soon also. 

Macomb hosts the Burlington Kennel Club dog show on July 21 and 22. This year the club is offering a beginner puppy competition. The puppies have to be at least 4 months old to one day less than 6 months old to compete. Autumn will be exactly 4 months old on the 21st and will make her ring debut then. If you live close, come to the show. It's always a good time for exhibitors and spectators alike.

If you have never been to a dog show or have gone to one and wondered what in the world was going on, here is a link to an article that might help you understand.

Greta's puppies are a week old. I'll write more about them at a later time. This first week has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs - puppies not nursing well and losing weight, Greta refusing to eat, multiple trips to the vet with Greta, Greta having mastitis. All the puppies now seem to be doing fine. Pray they continue to flourish. I'll post photos once they become a bit more photogenic! Each will be some shade of "gold" eventually, athough some will be darker than others. I was hoping we might get a puppy that was the color of his/her grandsire, Ch. Joyslyn's Highly Classified (Duncan).

Josh and I went to a 4-day show in Bloomington, IL, over the Memorial Day weekend. Bloomington is only two hours away, so we drove back and forth each day. The drive was stressful on only one day when our ring time was 9:05 AM. We both appreciated being able to sleep in our own beds each night. Josh was the only Lhasa there, so of course he took Best of Breed each day. He did not place in the regular groups but placed in the Owner-Handled Groups each day. We took a photo on the day he took OH Group 1, and I'll post that when it arrives.

In the meantime, here are a couple photos of Josh's wins at the WI shows in early May.

Josh: Regular Group 2 under judge Lisa Warren

Josh: Owner Handled Group 1 under judge Steve Hayden

Bekka and Chance were also entered in the Bloomington shows but since no one else entered, they were each the only Lhasa in their respective classes, so there were no points. They got to stay home that weekend. I think Josh enjoyed having all my attention for 4 days!

Here is the photo of Jenna after she won the last point for her championship at the Scott Co. Kennel Club show in Davenport, IA, Mother's Day weekend. (That was a great Mother's Day gift!)

Jenna: New Champion under judge Elliot Weiss

Here are a couple photos of our two new champions, Jenna and Onyx.

Ch. Joyslyn MLS Dakota Je Na Sais Quoi

Ch. Joyslyn's Onyx

Photos are now all we have to remember Onyx's long coat! I clipped her down the day after her championship certificate arrived from AKC!

 Onyx and Jenna are both Josh's daughters.

I received a photo of Cooper, a Josh and Luna son who belongs to Chuck and Steve. He is such a pretty Lhasa - beautiful expression! Chuck and Steve say he has a great personality too!

 If you are waiting for puppies, I'll start contacting people on the list in a couple weeks or so. I've got some travel for work coming up in June, so contact may be delayed.

That's it for now!

Joyce

Photos!

"There is nothing like the passage of time, he thought wryly, to make triumph irrelevant." 
~ Andrew Greeley, Death in April





This post is mostly photos and show news. I do not yet have the show photos from the WI shows earlier in the month, but I have seen the proofs of Josh's wins and two of the three look great. The other was disappointing, as he was not set up as nicely as he should have been. 

So, let's start with puppy photos. Here are Liam, Willow, and Autumn at almost 8 weeks old. 

Liam

Willow

Autumn

Today the puppies had four "firsts:" A Bath, A Car Ride, A Vet Visit, and A Vaccination–all before 9:30. Exhausted from the experiences (during which all behaved extremely well), they are now fast asleep.

Now for the exciting news (for me anyway!): Followers of this blog know the ups and downs I have been through with Jenna these past two years. She won her first point at age 6 months (May 2016), then a month later won a 5 point major at a specialty (June 2016), and another 5 point major at another specialty show in August of 2016, followed by a reserve to a four point major the next day. Oh boy, was I on Cloud 9. She seemed unstoppable. Well, as they say, "Don't count your chickens...!" In the fall of 2016 Jenna blew her puppy coat. And when I say "blew," I mean I was left with a nearly naked puppy. So we waited. And waited. 

In the spring of 2017 we started showing again, only to have this once excited-to-be-in-the- ring-and-strutting-her-stuff Lhasa become a Lhasa scared to even hear the word "show." Over the course of 2017, she pulled herself together to win a point in May and another in November. She hated showing and I dreaded showing her. (Lhasas look really ugly going around the ring with tail down!) But we were so close -- only 2 points to go. 

So in 2018 I decided to give her one more chance. We entered a 4-day show. She pulled herself together on day 2 and won a point. The count was now 14. One point to go. The next two days she was back to tail down and shaking so hard on the exam table that the whole table shook. I decided to quit. Well, never say "never." As I was looking at shows and asking myself which dogs I should enter where, I decided to give Jenna "one more try." 

To be honest, I decided to use her as a "filler" -- a dog just there to build points for another dog. I was afraid that if I did not enter two of the same sex I'd waste my entry fees because if someone else did not enter, there would be no points. It was a good thing I did that.

True to form, when Jenna went into the ring, her tail was down. She shook once as we rounded the corner near the table, and the tail came up for a second or so. On the down and back, tail was still down. The judge said, "It's too bad." I thought, "Tell me about it!"

So, when it was time to go in for the Winners Bitch class, I took Bekka in and my husband, Lynn, took Jenna in. The judge said, "Take 'em around" and off we went, Bekka in the lead. Except "watch out from behind!" Miss Jenna took one look at mom showing Bekka and must have thought "that's not happening!" She put her tail up, threw her head back, and showed the judge what she was all about. He wasted no time in making his decision! The purple ribbon and that last point were hers!

Whew...she is now Ch. Joyslyn MLS Dakota Je-Na Sais Quoi.

Here is a photo that our friend, Carol Washburn, took of us after the win.

Chance got another point on Saturday. That brought his total to 3. Bekka won on Sunday and now has 7 points. 

Again, we had much-needed help from friends. Thanks to LaVonne Bennett, who showed Chance for me, and to Carol Washburn, and Dawn and Dennis Symmonds, who helped us at ringside.

About mid-week I decided it was time to get some photos of Jenna and Onyx, our two newest champions. So we held at-home photo sessions and the photos below were among the results. I am so proud of both girls.

New Champion "Jenna"

New Champion "Onyx"

 And with that, I'll say "Until next time" and sign off with the usual reminder:

Joyce 

Catching Up

First, thanks to those of you who were worried about my absence from  this blog and took time to write to ask if all was well. It is nice to be thought of and missed! All is well; it's just been a busy few weeks since I last posted in mid-April.

What I've Been Up To

So...what's been going on? First, I took a trip to Nebraska to visit my mom, who lives about 7 hours from me. I usually plan on a spring visit and when I looked at the calendar I discovered that I did not have much free time in May or June so I just decided to take off. I spent 5 nights there and had a great time visiting with Mom, my sister, and my brother-in-law. I don't get home often enough!

Our all-breed kennel club in Burlington, IA, just started training classes. The first one took place shortly after I returned from my Nebraska visit so I scrambled to get two of the Lhasas ready for class. I am so thankful to now have a place to go to train the puppies to get them used to mats and ring procedures. Best of all, it's only an hour away instead of the nearly two hours each way I've had to travel before to other classes.

Once I returned from my trip, went to the first  training class of the year, and put in some hours at work, our son who lives in Edwardsville came home for the first time since Christmas. His metal band, Black Fast, is gearing up for a tour soon to promote the release of their next album, "Spectre of Ruin," on Friday, July 13th. He and I took time to go to the movie theater in town to see "Avengers: Infinity War" and really enjoyed the movie. I'm a big Avengers fan, my favorite being Thor! 

Next we went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to celebrate our granddaughter's 12 birthday. Here she is with Lynn and me. She is very proud of the fact that she now is slightly taller than I am!


And here she is with her dad (on the right) and uncle (on the left).

 April was a fine month for family!

Four of the dogs and I returned late last night (about 11-ish) from a 3-day show in Jefferson, WI. I took Chance (Joyslyn's Moon Shadows), Bekka (Joyslyn's Moonlight Beckons), Onyx (Joyslyn's Onyx), and Josh (GCHB CH Joyslyn MLS Dakota Wind Breaker). We had a very good weekend. On Friday, Chance took Winners Dog and earned his first two points; Onyx took Winners Bitch and Best of Winners for two points and FINISHED. She is now CH Joyslyn's Onyx! Josh took Best of Breed and went on to take Non-Sporting Group 2 (2nd place) and Non-Sporting Owner Handled Group 1. Unfortunately, while we were in the Non-Sporting Group, the judge of the Best in Show Owner Handled competition decided to go ahead with the judging without us. When I found out you can imagine how upset I was. That was not supposed to happen. 

On Saturday, Onyx was not shown, so the points in bitches was reduced from two to one. Bekka took Winners Bitch for the one point, which brought her total points for her championship to 4. Josh again took Best of Breed and went on to take a Group 3 in the regular Non-Sporting Group and Group 2 in the Owner Handled Non-Sporting Group.

On Sunday, Bekka again took Winners Bitch for a point, bringing her total to 5 points. Josh took Best of Breed, did not place in the regular Non-Sporting Group but did take first place in the Owner-Handled Non-Sporting Group. Josh showed so well all three days in all three rings. He never let down. I wondered how he would be since he had not been to a show--or even on a lead(!)--since late October. I think he missed going to the shows, so even though I planned to retire him from the ring, I think now he'll just be semi-retired.

In spite of the drive home being long and late, it was a happy trip!

I have to say that juggling four dogs in and out of the show ring is not easy, and I could not have managed it had it not been for lots of help from my friends. Huge "THANKS" go to LaVonne Bennett, Jane Chapin, Rebecca Powell, and Sue Stoddard for their moral support and help. 

Thanks also to the judges who appreciated the Joyslyn's Lhasas: Steve Hayden, Lisa Warren, Mark Houston-McMillian, Debby Jahnke, Gerard Penta, and June Penta.

Things were so crazy that I forgot to get a picture of Onyx to celebrate her championship! We did get a few of Josh's wins though, and I will post them when they come.

 Puppies

The puppies keep growing and getting cuter. I can't even believe they are already 6 weeks old. We did take photos last week but of course I never got around to posting them. We took some this morning too, so I thought I'd post both sets of photos.

Autumn at 5 weeks

Autumn at 6 weeks

 

Liam at 5 weeks

Liam at 6 weeks

 

Willow at 5 weeks

Willow at 6 weeks

I know that those of you at the tops of the waiting lists for puppies are wondering when I will make up my mind about which puppy I am keeping. All I can tell you is that once I make up my mind, I'll let you know. Maybe four more weeks. Maybe??

Photos and Notes From Others

Kathy wrote: "Sophie is doing great. I can’t believe that she is almost 2 ½ years old! Time flies. She is so much fun—she understands an unbelievable amount of words, to the point that we are often spelling (she probably understands that, too); she steadfastly guards her self-proclaimed territory and has to study anything new on the block (flag, flower pot, trash can) to make sure it is “safe”; she has a lot of “puppy” friends, and knows them all by name; she likes to play games and take walks; and she gives great kisses! She is just a well-rounded, typical Lhasa Apso. We love her to pieces.  I don’t know if you remember, but we picked her up on January 2, 2016, so every New Year’s Day, we also celebrate it as Sophie Day!"

Violet wrote about Shadow: "He was waiting at my bedroom door all morning for me to come out. He loves staying in the screened porch with Roman. Yesterday even Roman was not there, he just laid there by himself. He enjoyed the sunshine coming through. If he does not want the sun shine on him, then he would lay under the couch like he did this morning."

Shadow's new collar

From the Johnsons: "Hi!! Our family always thinks of you when Snickers does a cute picture. Last night he was pulling out his favorite toys and then just laid right in the middle. He is just soooo adorable and we love him tons. Don’t laugh he is very spoiled as you can see by his tons of toys…" 

Snickers and his many toys!

From Ted and Ev (From Beautiful Downtown Winnipeg Canada): "Hi Joyce,
April 27th is Lucky/Flash’s  6th Birthday. The people that operate the Doggie Day Care Centre sent the following picture. This guy does not slow down. He plays all day at the “ranch” and comes home and wants to play some more. On occasion, we jokingly say we are taking him back to Macomb and his ears perk up. Does he remember Macomb or does he remember our conversation of how we enjoyed the drive to Macomb? Who knows. All I know it his vocabulary seems to be getting larger than mine which is frightening. Congratulations on your 46th Anniversary----we celebrated ours a few days later for the 49th time. Continue to do a Super Job breeding Lhasas. In your spare time  (a little humor here) you will have to breed younger individuals to maintain the breeding of one of the BEST dog breeds around! Have a Super Summer."

A Nice Surprise! 
When I returned home Sunday night and took time to go through the mail that had accumulated while I was away, I found a nice surprise from India. I'd been sent a copy of the Indian Kennel Gazette, a publication of the Kennel Club of India. This issue featured the Lhasa Apso and included photos and articles about the breed; some of the articles were mine. I scanned the Table of Contents (see below). The issue also included articles by Catherine Marley, Marion Radstok, Beverly Drake, and Robert Cole. My articles were about grooming (page 22-23), coat change (page 24), and coat care reminders (page 25). While I was excited to see them included in the magazine. Three other of my articles were in the issue but not attributed to me: "Confusion About Color," Quick Tips on Grooming Your Lhasa," and "Frequently Asked Questions." While I was glad the articles were included, I admit to being dismayed that the attribution was missing. All of those articles, of course, are on my website. It just seemed weird to see my work and not have an attribution attached. Oh well...Was it my injured pride or the "old English teacher" in me that was at issue? LOL

It was a beautiful issue with lots of great information about our beloved breed. I wish all of you could see copies of it. It is easy to see that a lot of thought, love, and work went into the Lhasa Apso feature. It made me wish I had copies to give to puppy buyers. There is a lot of beneficial information in it, as you can see just by reading the Table of Contents. (I hope I made it large enough for you to be able to read it.)

  
With that, I'll say good-bye until next time. We have shows coming up on Mother's Day weekend and I'm hoping the dogs do as well as they did this past weekend. That would make a nice Mother's Day gift!

Joyce 

46 Years!

April 15, 1972

Yes, today is our 46th Anniversary. Don't ask me where all that time went. Ah...the memories!

So, 46 years of marriage and 45 years as Lhasa Apso owners, lovers, breeders, and exhibitors. Ah...the memories. 

And we're still making them. Below are the latest photos of the new litter, now 3 weeks old. These puppies' parents are Rafe and Kimmi.

Male, age 3 weeks

Female, age 3 weeks

Female, age 3 weeks

 As I pointed out in my last post, I am planning to keep a puppy but don't know it it will be a male or female so until I decide I am not going to let anyone on the waiting list claim a puppy.

Some More Photos

Here is the photo of Onyx's win at the Manitowoc show at the end of March.

Joyslyn's Onyx

This photo is of LaVonne Bennett's male, Cooper, take the same weekend when he finished his championship. Cooper's sire is our GCH CH Joyslyn's Inherit the Wind (Rafe).

New Champion! Mon Ami's Breezy Autumn Sunrise (Cooper)

We received a couple emails with notes and photos so I am also sharing them.The first is from the Johnson family:

"Hi!! Hope you are doing well. We love looking on your blog to see the puppies and dogs. We thought this was another cute one of Snickers. He loves his toys and this is his safe zone as when kids play tag. LOL Again he is amazing and full of love. Also he is so smart and brings us joy every single day!!! Hope you breed for a few more years to come. We alway toss around getting a female. Thank you!!! "

Snickers in his safe zone!

The next is from Jennifer about Grace:

"Hello, I wanted to let you know that I have finall3y sent in Grace's registration paperwork. I'm sorry it took so long, it's been a long winter for driving and doesn't want to let up. We are on our way back to Montreal again. On the good side of things Grace loves snow, the more the better. In the pictures Grace is in my backyard last Saturday. We've had snow the first of March but I don't remember it snowing in April. Before I forget I chose the name Joyslyn's Shadow Dancer. She is doing really well."

Grace enjoying the snow

Annie wrote: "Hi, Joyce ...this is my FB post. I thought you would enjoy it. Thank for the gift of this dog.  I know you wanted to keep her and I understand why.  She's amazing. All the very best -Annie"

From Annie's FB post about Phoebe: "Bosom buddies. I thought a puppy would be tough. I was right. But in the best way. Phoebe knows not to mess with Sadie. That old girl laid down the law immediately. Finley is still struggling a bit with the puppy attacks but more I think with the shifted dynamic of the pack. We're working on that to elevate him back to confidence. Jacob Marley however seems to have found his calling - nursemaid and playmate. He is so patient with Phoebe's razor sharp teeth clamping on to his legs and occasionally his penis. He corrects her with yelps and yips but never hurts her at all. He puts a paw on her and makes her yip which makes her dial it down. Every member of the pack has a function. Jacob, the Omega, is the nanny - the teacher - the connection. He is blossoming."

Phoebe with Jacob Marley

That's it for this week, folks. Thanks for reading this blog! 
 

As always:

Life is Better when you have a Lhasa to Love You!

 

Until next time,

Joyce